Erick Garcia

I represent SeaWorld. Blackfish does not properly represent the SeaWorld company. We are not associated nor did we approve of anything that was said in BlackFish. It clearly states in Blackfish that SeaWorld did not give any input on the documentary.  I would like for Blackfish to be discontinued from being shown on Tv or any other place such as Netflix. I want this because it reveals information about SeaWorld to the the pubic  that should not be exposed. The ex trainers are not suppose to be sharing the information they got from working at SeaWorld. This documentary can affect business in a negative way. 

Dane-Animals Rights- Black Fish- Period 4

The release of Blackfish was a big one. As tragic as Tilikum's story is, it is a story that must be told, and it is heatbreaking that Tilikum's agony, his frustration, etc. went ignored by the general public until now. Before it was only a small group of people, animal rights activist, who were aware of the harms of keeping not just orcas, but the majority of other animals in captivity. Humans are animals, no more superior than Orcas, snakes, deer, etc. that is an undeniable biological fact. With that said, to exploit other spices as entertainment slaves as if they have no other purpose than to serve us in conditions that do not suit them is a disgrace. All animal activist like myself want is for animals to be treated humanely, and to be left where they belong as beings instead of objects to be sold. As the film stresses, an animal so intelligent and emotionally active should not be kept in a bathtub for 30+ years.

By watching Blackfish, I became more aware of a very significant and ignored issue. I've always opposed keeping animals in captivity and Sea world, but I was unaware of the way in which these animals are caught. Humans tend to humanize all animals. If a child is put up for adoption, and adopted, than it will eventually overcome it. If a Orca whale is taken from its family, mother and habitat at the equivalent age, than they will be severely traumatized for the rest of their lives, in a way in which humans cannot comprehend simply because we are humans and whales are whales. 

My utter disgust of sea world has only grown stronger. In the article I was sent, a representative of sea world tried to argue that keeping Orca's in a bath tub for their entire lives is okay because they are fed and do not need to hunt.

That is the equivalent of saying that I would prefer to be locked up in a 5x5 jail cell and have all my meals handed to me through a metal slot in the door. Not to mention the food portions are way to small for a 5000 lb. whale. Hunting is not a chore for whales. Orca whales have the natural instinct to hunt, they teach their young's to hunt, in the same way humans learn to walk and work. 

Sea World, as much as it emphases that it assist animals, saves them, returns them to the wild, etc. that still doesn't justify the pure emotional abuse they put Orca Whales through, and other animals held captive at sea world.

There was a time where the slave trade was the norm, where segregation was the norm, where male dominance was the norm. Society cannot progress to its truly civilized potential until no beings are considered property by any measure. The film is a stepping stone to that progression, and it is a eye opener for society.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals" ~Ghandi.

Julia Nordhem

As a trainer I am concerned for the well being of the whales and do whatever I can to maintain a safe environment for them and for all of us trainers. As trainers we are required to follow all safety procedures. It is only fair that we are informed with of any previous attacks and violent behavior from the whales. This will help us determine how to approach the whale and how to act around them. I represent the safety of the trainers, myself, and the whales. It is important that everything goes smoothly and safely when the whales and trainers are preforming. If we are not informed of previous attacks against trainers, we are unaware of what the what is capable of doing and we won't be able to identify certain behaviors. At SeaWorld, we are aware that these whales are captured and ay suffer from separation anxiety from their families. This contributes greatly to the whales' behavior and perhaps can trigger violent actions against us trainers. It is our responsibility to guarantee safety witting the whale-trainer community at SeaWorld.

Blackfish- Brandon Ruffin

The recent movie Blackfish has brought much to mind. SeaWorld appeared to be a mystical place of wonder and fun. Blackfish highlighted the covert affairs of the SeaWorld Entertainment company. The fact that SeaWorld passed on the opportunity to be interviewed is also suspicious. People, such as I, travel all across the country to be a member of this "mystical experience". The movie Blackfish takes away from the mystical experience. These whales are abducted from their natural habitat and forced into a foreign environment. The treatment of the whales and trainers should change, or the experience is not worth the copious amount of money. There are many other places to go to to have fun and see animals. The important thing is to make sure everyone is safe and this fun is not a facade.

Save the Whales! -Christopher Vega

The way SeaWorld treats these wonderful beautiful mammals is very inhumane. SeaWorld captured them from there families with no remorse, they would even specifically go for the children. SeaWorld would use weaponry such as bombs to throw in the water to capture these mammals. Then SeaWorld brings them to there little contained area that they would swim in with no space to go anywhere. Being in a small constricted area for years on years upon time not learning the basics of life may send one person and/or mammal the wrong direction.  Coming from me a person who believes in the better treatment of living things on earth understands that it was only a matter of time that these mammals would go mad. Im not saying its ethical for these mammals to kill other human beings, but with them treating them with so much care its nice and all but they know they are just show mammals. They need the love and care of living in a ocean and fending for themselves in a wide broad range of water. The vastness of constrictions they have in the small pool they live in, not one mammal should have restrictions on where they can go. These mammals deserve a life and with corporate america using  them as a show is ignorant, and disrespectful with no regard for them at all.

Shannon FitzGibbons

SeaWorld should not close down because of the learning opportunities it gives to adolescents. We give them safe opportunities to interact with the orcas. Although, it is tragedy what happened to Dawn Branchaeu, she was at fault. Her hair should have been tied up in a bun so that the orca would have not been able to grab it. As an organization we take great precaution to ensure that our trainers are not at risk. But we can not control when they forget to finish a part of that task before interacting with the orcas (putting their hair up). We give these orcas a great living environment. In this movie, it tried to show all the flaws that our organization has but they did not try to mention all the great things we do. The orcas are fed everyday, are given a lot of attention, and we make sure that they are healthy and living well. Things things could not be done if they were living in the ocean. Everything we do is in the interest of the animals.

Nadia Goldberg

As a trainer, I believe that the way the Orcas are treated is inhumane and needs to be stopped. Because SeaWorld is not allowed to go and capture more victims from the wild, they are mating the animals that they have possession of, which is a totally inhumane thing to do. As stated in the video multiple times, Orcas belong in the wild, not in tiny tanks with other whales. They are forced to live in tiny tanks and perform 3-5 times a day which is extremely hard on the animals. In addition, because the Orcas live in tanks with other whales that are not necessarily family members, they attack each other and are very violent, causing great harm and pain. Even though I love working with the animals, I have the best interests of the whales in mind and I believe that the whales should not have to suffer. The whales have thoughts, emotions, languages, and desires. They feel the pain every time another whale attacks them. They feel the pain when a family member is taken away from them. They feel the pain every minute that they are trapped in the tanks. They feel the pain when trainers like myself force them to do things that they do not want to do. It makes sense that the Orcas are killing people because they have all this pain building up inside of them and have no way to let it out. I believe that the whales should not be held in captivity and instead, they should be released back in the wild where they belong.

 As a representative of Animal Rights, It is my duty to make sure that Sea World is treating their animals with kindness and respect. As a big time amusement park, a lot of people rely on Sea World as a source of entertainment by watching all sorts of exotic, elegant sea animals do a series of  amusing, circus-like tricks. Although Sea World looks like a harmless, all in good fun  type of business from the outside, the lack of treatment to the animals behind the scenes is unacceptable. Although many animals have been mistreated at Sea World, the treatment of Killer Whales over the past 30 years at Sea World is heart wrenching. In the wild, these intelligent beings roam the waters free with their dorsal fins straight, and their families by their side at all times. However, when they are stripped away from everything that they have become accustomed to in the endless waters of the ocean and dropped into a 20 by 30 foot jail cell, these whales have no choice but to go insane, senile, and overly aggressive.  Since these whales grow to be on an average of 20-25 feet long, the cells that they are put in are completely unacceptable for them to thrive in. Also, since there is obvious tension between the different Whales, when they get angered at each other, there is not much room for them to swim away. In turn, the whales get brutally beaten by one another. With all of the anger and pressure that these whales have to deal with everyday, there is no wonder why trainers are being brutally murdered by these fed up animals. Sea World knows that what they are doing is unethical, however they continue to treat the whales like they are prisoners. I believe that Sea World needs to be shut down immediately before another trainer, or Whale, gets fatally injured.

Kevin Hambourger

As a trainer of aquatic animals, I think that what Sea World does to these Whales is completely wrong. They are wild animals they deserve to live out in the Ocean where they were born. They shouldn't be stripped of their family and placed in a tank where they have almost no place to go to. They are placed in captivity for the rest of their lives. To just do shows for the entertainment of the people. These killer Whales are intelligent creatures. They have a mind of their own and should be able to live out their life in their natural habitat, with their family and loved ones. Being in these tanks for their whole lives after experiencing these traumatic events that their put through, these animals become slightly psychotic. I would never want to hop in a pool with a killer Whale where there might be a chance that the Whale might kill me. It is unpredictable. There have been multiple reported cases in which these Whales kill a trainer and each time the company specifically Sea World tries to make it seem like the trainers fault not the Whale. But in the wild there are no reported events where a killer Whale kills a human. Tilikum should be retired into a resort. He does not have a stable mind an cannot be trusted. I want to look for new outlets because capturing and training these animals is just morally wrong.

Zoe Solomon Blackfish

As an animal rights activist, I represent the well being of the animals.  Sea World is pretending that they are what's best for the whales, yet they are depressed in their cages.  In the wild, they are peaceful creatures, happy with straight dorsal fins.  When they are captured, taken away from their family, locked away to be beaten by others and forced to follow commands, they become aggressive and miserable and their fins will flop down.  When there is tension in the pool, there is no where for the animals to run.  They are beaten by other whales and some even commit suicide by ramming their heads into the wall.  These animals are injured, both inside and out.  Tillikum was angered and scared and acted out.  Humans would do the same thing in that position.  Imagine if you were trapped in a cage with other people and someone was trying to control you.  It's understandable to act out.  We need to stop the capturing of the whales in the first place to that everyone can be safe and happy.  Sea World is putting everyone in a painful position, so that they can make money.  The world needs to help stop Sea World and save the animals and everyone around them.

Olivia Gerasole Blackfish Blog Entry

Sea World Opinion
Sea World represents the corporation. Their goal is to make the most profit by attracting the paying public. Although I strongly disagree with Sea World's position on this topic, I would assume that their opinions on the documentary are bad. This documentary is causing them to lose business. They have no concern about the regal animals they keep at their facilities. This movie is the exact opposite of what Sea World wants. They want to attract the public. This documentary is exposing the public to the truths of Sea World, which is causing Sea World to lose a lot of customers. Since Blackfish is bad for business, Sea World's goal would be to convince the public that Blackfish is deceiving. They would want to show the public that the animals are happy and healthy, and that the trainers they employ are indeed safe. Sea World would definitely side with those who still think that keeping animals such as killer whales in captivity is an ethical thing to do.

Sean Finn-Samuels Blackfish Blog

Blackfish was an eye-opening movie, and having been a customer of SeaWorld in the past it had a strong impact on me. What became apparent is that we, the customers, are providing Sea World with the funding necessary to continue to separate orcas from their mothers at such a young age, and then pen them up. They take our money and then use it to steal more orcas, and as a result kill some of them with the heathen techniques they use to ensnare the young. I’ve always been a huge fan of SeaWorld and as a child I aspired to be one of the trainers that appeared to be having so much fun swimming with the whales and asking them to perform tasks. Now, I don’t think these trainers should be role models for our young. They are kept in the dark as to all of the dastardly deeds SeaWorld is performing using the money the trainers provide them with using their shows that everyone wants to see. Also, before OSHA forbid the trainers from entering the water, their lives were in constant danger, and for children to desire to be those trainers in the water is a scary thought, considering SeaWorld continued to put the trainers’ lives in danger. It’s enraging to think that the paying customers have been duped by SeaWorld for so long. Also, SeaWorld tried to cover up all of their misdeeds in the media, so the public has always been left in the dark. Now that the truth has come out and SeaWorld can no longer cover up for everything they’ve done wrong, I don’t think I’ll be spending so much of my money there again; I would assume that I’m not the only one that feels this way.

Pharaoh Sherod

This movie is complete slander against my company. All former Sea-World trainers are not to disclose any information of they're employment from this point on. The former employees will be addressed by Sea-World's legal department soon. None of the viewpoints or footage in this film generally express those of Sea-World as a company or the employees within the corporation. This footage shows isolated incidents that obliviously aren't standard in Sea-World or any of its affiliates. Sea-World is a family friendly location that always has your safety and the safety of our employees in mind. We also make sure that our animals are content and fully trained before they preform. We will continue to make sure all our animals, not only our killer whales are healthy and happy. We apologize to anyone traumatized by this film and encourage you to experience Sea-World as the family friendly theme park that it is.

Formerly

Sea-World CEO

Pharoah J. Sherod

Victoria Amato

As a trainer, I know that how the orcas are treated is inhumane and it needs to be stopped. From getting physically bullied by other whales to the mental degradation because of the small tank; these wild animals are not meant to be in captivity, separated from their family. Although SeaWorld would like to say that these animals are happy, their collapsed dorsal fins prove otherwise. I would like to see all captured killer whales to be set free because, if they are not, they will kill again. There have been studies that show when an orca whale has only attacked while in captivity but that they do not while in the wild. These animals are not receiving what they need while in a tank that is incomparably small to the ocean. The orcas that are in captivity in SeaWorld are apart of our very fragile ecosystem. That ecosystem can be thrown off balance once the orcas are removed from their natural environment. After seeing the inhumane treatment of the orca whales, all trainers agree that these animals are not in the correct environment. They should be released and living a life that doesn't revolve around their misery making others happy.

Will Hain (Trainer) Blackfish

As a former trainer, I am disgusted by the way Sea World treats its whales, its trainers, and its customers. You have to understand that we trainers were kept in the dark about a lot of what happened to the people that were killed. They blame us for our deaths; saying that "it was a timing error on the trainer's part" or "they slipped and hit their head and died" or something along those lines. But as you look back and start thinking, you find holes in these stories they keep telling you and begin to ask questions. Though I never knew Dawn personally, I've heard that she was close to Tilikum, and very skilled at what she did. I find it hard to believe that she died from making a careless mistake, and it's horrible that anyone would try to blame her even though she's the victim! While I do blame Tilikum for Dawn's death, he's just as much of a victim. The higher-ups at Sea World treat their whales cruelly which pushed Tilikum to fight back. So really both the whales and trainers are victims.